All roads open, but many are still slick

Saturday

Jan 11, 2014 at 9:52 AMJan 11, 2014 at 10:21 AM

ROCKFORD - The city's Public Works Department is asking residents to refrain from unnecessary travel this morning and early afternoon.

Although arterial streets have been salted numerous times throughout the overnight hours, isolated slippery spots remain and streets may continue to re-freeze throughout the day. Crews began salting residential routes at 7 this morning.

Motorists are urged to follow at a safe distance behind snowplows to prevent salt from hitting your vehicle and the added distance also allows a driver room to back up if needed.

Just before 10 a.m., the Rockford Police Department re-activated its emergency-accident plan, which means if your car can be driven from a crash scene and no one is injured, you must exchange information with the other driver and then come to the Public Safety Building within three days to make a crash report.

Winnebago County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Harrison said four minor accidents were reported this morning in the county.

"The main roads are good, the secondary roads are passable, but the side streets are still slippery," he said. "I just got off the phone with the township commissioners, and they're all working the roads."

In Boone County, Illinois 173 between Capron and Poplar Grove reopened at 1 a.m.

The stretch of roadway was closed Friday night to allow first responders and tow trucks time to respond to as many as 100 accidents, mostly vehicles that had slid off the roadway and into ditches.